Create a Preference Form

The purpose of the Preference Form is to create a custom form that employees can submit via ESS to communicate scheduling specific preferences to their administrators/supervisors.

1)Click on the Scheduling icon from the navigation menu, then select Preference Form Definitionoption in the Volunteering & Availabilitysection.

2) Click on the Add New button.

3) Enter the Name of Preference Form.

4) TheIs Enabledfield is set to Yes if this form will be exposed to the employees via ESS. Otherwise, disable it by selecting a No in the drop-down.

5) Set the appropriate validity range (if applicable) for the new Preference Form in theValid Fromand Valid To fields. If Valid FromandValid Tofields are left blank, the validity of the form will be indefinite.

6) From the Organizational Unitsdrop-down, select the Organizational Unit to which the Preference Form will belong to.

Note: Click on the flashing Plussign to add an Organizational Unit.

7) Then you need to set period dimensions for the Preference Form.

Start- select the date that the the form will begin

Duration -indicate (in days) the duration of the form

Period Type-identify the form's period type: (1) End with Period End (values entered in the form for each period expire when period ends; new values need to be entered for the new period), (2) Extend with Period End (values entered in the form during one period will extend onto the next periods until changed; when changed, the new values will apply.

8) Lastly, configure any set of preferences and applicable value selections for each in the Preferencessection. Click on the +sign to add a new preference.

9) Each preference needs to be titled (via the Titlefield). From the Optiondrop-down list, select an entity from which values will be preferred (i.e. Jobs, Job Locations, Shifts, Value Sets (which have been predefined), etc.).

Note: In the Items Typefield, you can select whether the entity selected in the Optionfield (Jobs, Shifts, etc.) will be a single item, group or both. An example would be: if employees are allowed to preference only Shift Groups, then the type needs to be set to Group. By default, this field is populated with Any option (both items and groups).

10) Click Ok to save the newly added preference.

11) To continue adding additional preferences to the form follow steps 8-10.

12) You may also add multiple options to each preference. To add an additional option to an already created preference, click on the Plus sign to the right of the preference.

Note: To remove previously added options, click on Delete sign to the right of the option.